EXCLUSIVE: Thora Birch has exited Wednesday, Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family series for Netflix. The series, which is filming in Romania, stars Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams during her years at Nevermore Academy.
“Thora has returned to the States to attend to a personal matter and will not be returning to the production,” a rep for series producer MGM said in a statement to Deadline.
According to sources, Birch is dealing with a family illness.
I hear Birch had finished filming the bulk of her series regular role as Tamara Novak, Wednesday’s dorm mother and the only “Normie” on staff at Nevermore Academy with a focus on all things botanical.
The role will not be recast, with producers looking to add a new character to the show’s first season, I hear. It is unclear whether that character will take over for Tamara and help close out her planned storyline with both of them co-existing on the show or whether the new character will replace Tamara and Birch’s scenes will be reshot.
The large cast of Wednesday includes Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones as matriarch Morticia Addams and Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams.
The coming-of-age comedy, written by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar and directed by Burton, is described as a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery. Burton executive produces with Gough and Millar, who serve as showrunners on the series. Also executive producing are Kayla Alpert, Steve Stark, as well as Andrew Mittman for 1.21, Kevin Miserocchi, Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania and Gail Berman.
Birch’s recent credits include, AMC’s The Walking Dead and the Plan B/A24 feature The Last Black Man in San Francisco.
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I feel really sad to hear the news about my favorite actress Thora Birch and she’s an awesome actress and it’s so disappointing that she’s leaving the Addams Family series and every role that she’s ever played in movies or even on TV was awesome and i’d love for her to stay on this show and my thoughts and prayers are with her
I feel really bad to hear the news about my favorite actress Thora Birch exiting this series and she’s an awesome actress and i’d love for her to stay on this show and every role that she’s ever played in movies or even other roles on TV were awesome and my thoughts and prayers are with her
This makes no sense. “Personal matter?” If that’s the case, why isn’t she returning to the production? Very very odd.
It’s gotta be awful to wake up on any given day as Ryan Martin but today must be a hilariously bad. Thora is a treasure. Ryan is an enflamed dumpster filled with 90’s memorabilia.
If she already filmed her scenes, then why remove the character?
the article says they didn’t finish the character, only filmed a lot of them and they don’t know what they’re doing with it
Thora was really my reason for being excited about it and now care a whole lot less about it. I still will likely watch the show out of curiosity but dom’t really care in the same way. One of my favorite actors ever and so glad she decided to work again
Thora Birch is my favorite, I’m still in love with Enid :)
I totally love Thora Birch! I hope I get to see her character in this one.
I’m so sorry to hear this!! Huge Thora fan and crushed. Hope to see her on the show at least with what they shot!! 💔💔 Praying they bring her back season 2